Rusty is a lifelong entrepreneur. With an extensive background in building companies, he understands the variables involved in startups. In 2014, he founded KitchenTown to help food entrepreneurs ideate, create and grow their business in the smartest way possible. He advocates for founders, cultivates relationships, and fosters partnerships that strengthen and inspire innovation for the next generation of food startups. Feed him kale, croissants, or crickets. He’s game.

Sarah is a researcher, strategist, foresight practitioner and designer with almost a decade of experience working across the global food and agriculture industry. She formerly led the Food Futures Lab at Institute for the Future. She’s a dynamic facilitator and trusted advisor who loves supporting food changemakers to make sense of emerging trends and build more resilient, equitable, and humane food systems. You can also find her rock climbing, experimenting with new ways to cook vegetables, and doing elaborate craft projects. 

Eric has worked in restaurants since he was 15 years old and received his culinary and nutrition education from Johnson & Wales. He has worked for some of the most respected chefs in the bay area including Traci des Jardins and Micheal Mina. Eric is the Executive Chef at The Commissary, in San Francisco. Previously, he worked at the Michelin starred restaurant Madera in Menlo Park. Eric resides in Oakland where you can find him training in Jiu Jitsu and gardening.

Brandi is a passionate marketer with a flair for brand storytelling, the consumer experience, and enjoys a keen sense of burgeoning trends. Her range of experience spans a multitude of industries including wine & spirits, cannabis, action sports, personal care, and tech. Brandi shines in the art of wordsmithing and crafting digestible language that reaches and resonates with relevant audiences. In her spare time, Brandi fancies herself an epicurean who enjoys process driven recipes, home gardening and travel.

Michelle is a highly skilled food scientist with a history of working in the food and beverage industry. Before her start at KitchenTown, Michelle worked at Bolthouse Farms in R&D and at Kraft Heinz Company in quality control. She is skilled in product development and commercialization. Michelle loves seeing products come to life from ideation to product launch. Outside of work, Michelle enjoys hiking, indoor cycling and travel. 

Ibrahim is a food scientist with a strong background in product development and process engineering. Prior to joining the KitchenTown team, he worked a s a research and technology scientist at Miyoko’s Creamery and earlier in his career as a process engineer and in R&D at Tnuva. Ibrahim holds an undergraduate and graduate degree from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in biotechnology and food engineering. In his free time, Ibrahim is a technology hound especially when it comes to electronics and gadgets.   

Maricruz is a Jane of all trades.  She has supported many different functions of a food business including production, product inventory control, customer service, and quality assurance.  She owns all administrative duties in the office as well as coordinating the Maker schedule and assuring everyone is operating with the right licenses and certifications. In her spare time, Maricruz is active in a number of soccer leagues and  enjoys feeding people delicious food at all hours of the day.

A graduate of Cal Poly SLO’s Food Science undergraduate program, Lauryn in an enthusiastic, open-minded, and passionate Food Technologist. No stranger to the food industry, she spent time working in culinary establishments from bakeries to boba shops to better understand all aspects of the food landscape. Working in Product Development enables her to work towards her goals and aspirations as a Food Scientist while helping launch products into the market. Lauryn enjoys dancing, traveling, and trying new restaurants and recipes in order to satisfy her appetite for learning new things.